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A Rebel Comes of Age

Winner of 2014 Pinnacle Achievement Award

Bronze Medal Readers’ Favorite Coming of Age (2014)

A Rebel Comes of Age, an Occupy Wall Street novel is a sequel to my first young adult novel, The Battle for Tomorrow. In the first book, sixteen-year-old Angela Jones is arrested and sent to juvenile hall for participating in a blockade and occupation of the US Capitol. The sequel takes place a year later, when she and four homeless teenagers occupy an empty commercial building owned by Bank of America. Their goal: to transform it into a teen homeless shelter.

The adventure turns deadly serious when the bank obtains a court order evicting them. Ange faces the most serious crisis of her life when the other residents decide to use firearms against the police SWAT team.

From the Reviews:

A Rebel Comes of Age is a well-written story about the unusual life of a group of teenagers who are a part of a left-leaning movement. Angela Jones and her new friend Fabio decide to work on establishing a shelter for homeless teenagers. They enlist the help of three other teens and establish Freedom House in a building that used to be the Credit Union. They receive support from a few organizations, including the church across the street. All seems to be going well until their numbers increase. Inevitably this leads to an increase in problems and challenges. Freedom House attracts many who are not mature enough to live on their own and many who couldn’t care less about the vision of the founders. A number of difficult situations emerge that lead Angela on a path to self-discovery. Amidst deep anger, rebellion, rampant promiscuity, and the unavoidable task of growing up, Freedom House becomes steeped in political activism and differences in opinion regarding how the place should be run lead to a number of unusual events. When Angela becomes the victim of racism and bullying by the very teenagers she wants to help, she questions her commitment to the cause, but she eventually learns that change requires patience.

Dr. Stuart Jeanne Bramhall is an amazing storyteller. The plot shares some often overlooked details that help the reader to form a mental picture of the plight of these young activists. The dialogues are written exactly as each character would speak which gives the impression of listening to the voices in one’s head. The story is based on a serious problem that is often ignored in our society. It’s the issue of teenagers that have left their homes, whether willingly or forced by circumstances. Life on the streets is not easy and Bramhall vividly describes the hardships these youngsters face and the way in which it affects and changes them. The author does a great job at exposing corruption, while at the same time honoring those individuals and organizations that are willing to protest and help those in need.

This book was very interesting. It’s not something I’ve ever read before so everything was new to me. Surprisingly most of the issues that were going on were teenage issue which actually made the book seem more real. They weren’t acting too old for heir age. Let me tell you, this book is a roller coaster. There are so many ups and downs that it will make your head spin but in a good way.

Ange is around my age and when she goes through a teenage related problem I feel like I could connect with her and understand her more. She also comes to difficult decisions that she has to face and make. This is definitely a coming of age story. Throughout you see her make difficult decisions on her way to try and find herself which many people can relate to. I know I can. I’m still trying to figure myself out. All the characters were amazing. They seemed so real. I loved their different personalities and how they were with each other.

Overall, I have to say this book is definitely a page turner. I highly recommend it. This book will keep you on your toes waiting for what’s going to happen next. I am so glad that I got the chance to review this book. I just want to thank Stuart for giving me the change. This is an amazing book and will definitely recommend it to my friends.

I loved the whole theme/set up of the novel–A Rebel Comes of Age tells the story of a group of homeless teens try to form a safe haven in an unused corporate building. I mean, who hasn’t wondered what it would be like to live with a a group of kids, free of adults? The author explores many problems that have the potential to arise in such theoretical situations; for example, characters have to deal with who and how rules are set, how work is divided among the teens and what to do with rule breakers. In many ways, this book reminded my of Lord of the Flies. . . The main character, Ange, is totally lovable. She just wants to make the world a better place.

“Angela Jones is a seventeen year old girl, recently out of jail, who meets a nineteen year old, Puerto Rican activist named Fabio at an Occupy Wall Street encampment. Fabio’s most recent ambition is to start a teen homeless shelter run by the teenagers themselves. He enlists Ange’s help and the two of them, plus three other homeless teenagers break into an abandoned Bank of America building to make Fabio’s idea a reality.

The five teenagers start this self- run teen homeless shelter and they must face many obstacles to keep it running. Many of these obstacles are just every day teenage problems that the group must decide on how to deal with and what rules to make, including rules on racial slurs, drugs, alcohol, and how to deal with raging hormones. These aren’t the biggest of the growing group’s worries though, with the Bank of America breathing down their necks with an imminent eviction.

This story brings you through many ups and downs and a multitude of issues that many of us have had to deal with at one time or another even if you aren’t an activist for anything in particular. Ange brings us through many typical teenage problems and feelings that many can sympathize and connect with. She also encounters tougher choices, like her view on guns and violence. Most people have a set opinion on whether they condone gun use and violence or not so this is also an extremely relevant topic that many can either agree or disagree with for a variety of reason. Ange tries to find herself in this book, which is what many of us have already done or are still trying to figure out.

All of the characters are written with realistic personalities and opinions that really bring their characters to life, whether you enjoy the character or not. The writing is easy to read and the book is a page turner. Dr. Bramhall does a great job conveying the story, emotion, and the characters’ enthusiasm and drive to accomplish their goals. . .

“A Rebel Comes of Age is about social justice, activism, and confrontation, and it uses the character of a teen who becomes involved in ‘occupy’ politics and issues to neatly translate the process by which the personal becomes political and the individual becomes a symbol of community involvement and activism.

It’s important to note that this book is a sequel to A Battle for Tomorrow, but prior familiarity with this title is not required in order to readily absorb the characters, setting and perspective of A Rebel Comes of Age (though, surely, new fans of this will want to read its predecessor).

In casting the protagonist as an older teen, A Rebel Comes of Age more clearly defines its audience as the mature teen reader with an interest in social issues and community efforts, and it’s this reader who will gain the most from a story line that moves swiftly from an idealistic ‘occupy’ platform to one that incorporates violence and places protagonist Ange at the forefront, holding an M16 and facing a battle that might end her life…

From confrontation to rallies and small conflicts turned into bigger, more serious involvements, Ange grows politically and socially throughout the events that permeate A Rebel Comes of Age. In the end it’s her own forms of rebellion, belief, and responses to injustice and social strife that will be put to the test – along with the new relationships she’s formed as a result of the Occupy movement.

Any who enjoy reading novels about mature teens and their evolving political and social consciousness will find A Rebel Comes of Age a solid and lively inspection of one girl’s journey toward realization and understanding.”

“Ms. Bramhall captures the strengths and weaknesses of the Occupy movements extremely well. Long-term political protests require a level of organization that is extremely difficult to uphold. This is even more true when one is committed to a truly democratic decision making process that requires the cooperation and input of a large group of people. The strongest points in this novel involve showing how this process unfolds over a long period of time when good intentions rub up against the harsh realities of daily life.

A Rebel Comes of Age is a great choice for teen and adult activists alike. I’d recommend it to anyone who has ever attempted to change the world for the better in even the smallest way.”